Alfred vick



Patented Mar. 23, 1897..

, WITNESSES:

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ALFRED VIOK, OF MOUNT CARMEL, CONNECTICUT.

LAWN, FLOOR, OR TABLE GAME-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,198, dated March 23, 1897. Application filed January 18, 1896- derial No. 575,240. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED VIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Oarmel, in the county of, New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lawn, Floor, or Table Games, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of a novel construction of game which is adapted to be played in or out of doors and in which balls and mallets and a substantially centrally-located apertured disk are employed, all as will be hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a game embodying my invention. resents a transverse sectional view of one of the implements of said game, to be hereinafter referred to.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two'figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the game complete, the same being adapted to be played in the house on the floor or table or out of doors on an ordinary lawn or playground. In the present instance the game is shown as adapted to be played out of doors, B designating a suitable lawn, ground, or floor, which may be of any suitable shape or size and may be inelosed by a border 0, said ground or floor having an extension M at one side thereof.

D designates an apertured disk employed, which I term a ring or crater, the latter being adapted tobe placed in the substantially central portion of the ground and bein g shaped in cross-section as seen in Fig. 2. The said ring or crater consists of the body portion E, having the passage or hole F therethrough and the continuous inclined top surface G from the edge of said hole, which surface terminates in a somewhat sharp edge at its outer periphery and inclines upwardly toward the passage F, the bottom of said ring in the present instance being provided with the annular recess H, concentric with said hole F and forming a cylindrical hub on the under side of said crater, whereby said ring is enabled to be forced a short distance into the earth, whereby the entrance of the earth into said recess H holds the ring in position.

Fig. 2 rep- J designates a bent arch or wicket, somewhat similar to a croquet-wicket, which is adapted to be inserted a short distance into the ground and then bent down so as to lie flat thereupon, as seen in Fig. 1.

K designates the balls employed, which are to be propelled by any suitable device, such as the mallet L.

The manner of playing the game is as follows: In the preferred embodiment of my in vention the articles employed, besides the ring and crater, are four mallets and twelve balls. Variations in the extent of the ground are of course permissible, the same being preferably a plot about twenty-four feet square, while the extension M extends into one side about four feet and constitutes the startingpoint.

The object of the game is to get ones own balls in the crater and keep out the opponents balls. When two persons play, each has six balls, when three play each has four balls, and when four play the two alternate players are partners and each side has six balls, each player having three balls which he calls his own, the balls being so marked out that six variations to the number of players are possible. The player who gets all his own balls in the crater first wins the game. When four play, the side which holes six balls wins. The players are distinguished by colors, and play in order as colors are marked on the stake, which it is understood may be employed in the place of the wicket J.

The balls are marked as follows: four with the red stripe, four with the blue stripe, and four with the white stripe. The four white balls are colored, two with the red and two with the blue stripe at right angle with the white. When two players only use the game, one has six red and the other six blue balls. hen three play, there are three red, three blue, and threewhite balls. hen four play, there are four combinations of color-thus, red, red and White, blue, and blue and white.

I11 starting the game the first player (for example, red) places his ball in the strikers box J or the ball may be placed a mallets length from the starting-stake in case the stake is used, and strikes his ball, trying to make it enter the hole F in the crater J. If he succeeds, he starts a new ball, and so continues until he misses or fails to ring or hole his ball. Blue now starts a ball and endeavors to ring it, or, if he prefers, he may try to croquet the red ball. If he succeeds in the latter move, he may croquet his opponent to any part of the ground and then has a stroke from his position for the ring, and if he succeeds he takes out one of his opponents balls if any are in the ring, and every ball thus ringed scores the same point, that is, takes out one of the opponents balls. All balls so taken out must be started over again as though they had not been once played.

When three persons play, one ball of each of the opponents is taken out for every one a player rings. N hen four play, only one ball is taken out for each ball ringed and not any are taken out for ringing your partners ball.

Having thus described myinvention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A game-board consisting of a plane field with border surrounding the same, and an extension on one side thereof, a centrally-apertured disk having an annular recess in its base for securing it to said field, and an inclined upper surface and an arch bent flat at said extension.

2. A game consisting of a plane field, hav- 3o ing angular outlines and provided With the border 0, a centrally-apertured disk secured to the center of said field, and having an inolined upper surface, and starting-indicator on said field, near an extension on one side 35 thereof.

ALFRED VIOK. WVitnesses:

CHARLES SPREYER, LOUIS E. JACOBS. 

